Weeping Willow
by PurpleWithLace
Summary: Trying to escape back to her old life she didn't expect to find a strange land with strange creatures and a lost kingdom. Follow Aala on her unexpected journey to rediscovering herself, her emotions, memories, what it is to be human and the like, and how it feels to be loved. Other Genres: Hurt/Comfort, Suspense, Crime, Friendship, Family, Fantasy, a little Romance, and Angst.


[Disclaimer: I do not own either _The Hobbit_ or the film where most of my ideas for this fic come from. I only own my characters. I would suggest checking my profile often mainly because I update that most often with important details vs. in chapters. (by the way, I just went through this and rewrote some things and fixed it up. Plot is the same, just some stuff was added to the end.)

The sizzling sound of the last thinly cut sliver of steak filled the silence brought by heavily bared windows and an armored door. It's three days after New Year and just two weeks ago I finally got the key code too open them, but today I didn't leave the windows open to let in air like I usually did around this time, though it would have helped with the smell of cooking meat that was hanging heavily about. It's been one month and six days, all spent on recuperating and getting ready to leave. It is 9 o'clock in the morning now, I would leave at 9:30.

I turned off the stove and slid the cooked meat out of the pan and next to the others on the paper towel laying across the marble counter stretching 18 ft. to the white wall. I regarded the well cooked meat with a good eye as they dry, and I take note that I would be able to wrap them soon and put them in with the other meats I had in my backpack. Taking a deep breath in through my nose, then letting it out through my mouth, I then started to hum. I stood there doing this for a minute, meditating; calming myself. When I opened my eyes again I was facing the thin steaks and admired my handy work with a fresh mind. 'You have to feed them, can't have them starving,' I thought again, with reluctance, and heavy feet, I grabbed the one right next to the just laid out steak slice. I walked a few paces left and opened the third drawer over and pulled out a knife. I laid the steak out and cut it in half then literally threw the knife in the sink.

I didn't want to go in that room again, but I couldn't just run away from it. No, that wasn't an option I was willing to make, I'm better than that. With this being a factual thought I picked up the severed meat and turned to my right, away from the living room, to go down the hallway on the opposite side. It took me 17 steps from the beginning on the hallway to make I to the last door at the very end, and I counted every one. Upon arrival I looked at the mangled door, flashes of how pretty it used to be went through my head. The door was covered in mother of pearl inlays sequenced as flowers with little diamond studs holds there with silver to hold them in the middle of the 16 little flowers and humming birds dipping their beaks in to get the 'nectar'. It would have been beautiful if it was made for a different reason. I never thought for a moment I'd feel such distaste for a creature I was so fond of. I stood there looking at the now defaced scene that I used to be locked behind. I had removed all the diamonds and put them in a small drawstring felt bag with other small gems I could find in random rooms or imbedded in doors in this house. I would have felt like a robber who'd made the job of his/her life if that was the actual purpose. I wish it would have been then the dreaded truth.

My thoughts were broken by a male voice I was very familiar with, "I know you're there. Please, we're sorry, please just let us go and we'll help you get away from him," it was Fraco, he gave me the pass-code to open the doors and windows when his brother wouldn't. I was a mess who didn't have much control over her body at the time.

"Stop trying to convince me that you're going to help me," my voice showed how tired I was of hearing this line repeated to me daily, "I don't trust you and you know that." I sigh as I opened the door and flipped on the lights. Behind the door before I dismembered it, used to be a queen sized bed with a frame made of iron and little humming bird figures intermingling with twisting metal honed to look like vines. The bed set had been changed more times then I cared to remember in my time here, or that I could even remember. Now that frame was in pieces. The bed was propped up against the opposite wall. On the other side, tarp with their own shackles, are two men.

If you couldn't tell by their voices that they were twins you'd know it when you saw their faces. Both men were around 5'7", had the same color blue eyes, dark brown hair, and stubble covered chins; their faces were usually clean shaven. They were both normally sun kissed, but not as darkly now. Colis was more muscular, but you couldn't tell when they were both wearing the loose long sleeved shirts they were in now, but you could see the slight difference in leg muscle with the cut in half pants they wore. The elder brother, Colis, wasn't sleeping though he looked it, but rather ignoring me trying to hide his dark blue eyes with long brown bangs. His lower lip was finally healed, but his right cheek was still bruised across his tan skin from two weeks and 3 days ago. He holds a scowled until he smelled the food I had in my hands. He was only angry because I kept him right next to his brother, he couldn't stand his younger sibling due to all the groveling he did and general hatred for ones sibling for whatever reasons. I wasn't past a few forms of torcher plus, with a twisted sense of joy, I'm hoping they'll eat each other before the cops find them and have the chance to deal with them properly. If I had the time to bet, my money would be on Colis breaking and eating Fraco. Easy prey, and I doubted Colis would miss his brother.

Ripping my mind from the zombie like horror scene playing out in my head I looked to the younger brother whom didn't share the bruise across his jaw line asking, "Are you hungry? I'm leaving in less than an hour so this is the last time you'll be feed or watered."

Before Fraco could open his mouth Colis murmured, "You say it as if we're dogs with the ability to talk."

"COLIS!" Fraco yelled, "Why can't you just shut up and except that you've lost and move on!"

"Quiet," Fraco gave me his undivided attention in a form I could take without feeling sick, Colis, on the other hand, only gave me a grunt, which I could also handle though with some difficulty, "I don't think you have room to care what you are to me, just be grateful that I'm even feeding you after all this...," I trailed off not wanting to think about it.

Fraco couldn't stop himself from what he said next, he never did when it came to anything involving me no matter the situation, "Please, Aala! I know I wronged you, but please don't do this! Don't leave me with him. I never hurt you-"

"Oh shut up Fraco, god. Aala, at least let him go like he wants. He knows his way around anyways. Or at least put him in a different room and save me the trouble of listening to him cry like a pussy when you leave."

I looked at him without much surprise then answered, "Now, why would I do you a favor when you wouldn't even show me a kindness, let alone others?" I laughed, "Don't answer that."  
"I take it that means no?"

"You are correct sir," I answered with dry humor.

No one said anything after that, Colis just shrugged and sighed giving off the, 'Well, I tried,' vibe while Fraco hung his head covering his face with his hair.  
The rest went in slight silence as I feed them. Fraco gave me pleading eyes many times and tried to touch me, while Colis just ate the food and drank the water like a viscous animal getting both on his shirt. When I was done, before I closed the door for the last time, I said, "If you wouldn't have destroyed the car engine maybe I would've been able to get the cops here you'll probably starve half to death while I make my way back to civilization."

Closing the door all I could here was muffled screams of pleadings. Pleadings for me to change my mind, which came from Fraco without a doubt; I wouldn't. I walked down the hall, to the kitchen where on the table was my backpack full of everything I could find that would be of any use. I went to the check list on the table:

Food, check;

Water filterer bottle filled with water, check;

Filter refills, check;

Cloths, check;

Jewels, check;

Tarp, check;

Jacket, check;

Blanket, check;

Utility knife/Box cutter, check;

Rope, check;

Flashlight, check;

One change of batteries for flashlight, check.

I picked up the water bottle marveling at it as I had been less often now then at the first discovery of it. I found out from an eager Fraco that it filters water and that it was also his. He explained that it could filter up to 40 bottles of water per fill, but after that the filter would have to be replaced. Then, with shouting from Colis in protest, Fraco ignored him and told me where he had some other filters put up, how to put them in, and how they would react and what not. I was pretty amazed at the whole thing to begin with, but Fraco's cooperation only stemmed from hope to be freed of Colis. I thought it was pretty funny when I rewarded Fraco with a few apple slices and Colis practically had kittens over it.

Cutting myself off from a memory that I shouldn't have found joy in I distracted myself with the list once again. Not being able to think of anything else I grabbed the bag off the table and adjusted it to my comfort ability and headed to the door. Punching in the key code the door unlocked audibly and moved forward a bit. I pushed the heavy door open with a little force and it was shut behind me with my foot. I looked about sighing at my misfortune. They had torn the car engine apart without having the slightest clue themselves how to fix the thing. Then, of course, I had not any clue myself on how to fix it, but I did try. Grumbling unintelligible words and kicking the ground I made my way to the dirt path leading me to the only sure fire way out of the woods. I cursed wishing they could've at least had a bike, or skate board, or anything that could've helped me make better time, but escape could never come easy could it? With a huff I started fast walking down the path, utility knife hanging off my belt loop, toward the rising sun.

oOoOo

Going down the path, any time I would see it bend unnecessarily and would cut through the trees, if it didn't seem like it would waste much-needed energy, to save time. After a few hours I checked the watch I received from my past life and saw it was a quarter to 4 o'clock in the afternoon and felt my stomach contract and call out to me. This signaled me to I eat the meat I wrapped in paper towel and stuffed in my pocket three and a half hours ago, but it was only the length of my hand and had been the width of my pointer finger to my ring finger. Plus my feet were starting to hurt so, giving in, I looked for a log and went to it sitting down then pulling the backpack off my shoulders and placing it on the ground next to me. Unwrapping it I ate the meat leaving the backpack closed next my right leg and drank some of the water.

After sitting there for about 15 minutes I grabbed the bag, replaced it on my shoulders, started back on the path feeling more confident, and focused on the task at hand. The ache in my feet and protest of my stomach had quelled and I was walking again just as fast as before. I stopped at a steam as many times as I felt necessary and took care of myself when needed through the next three hours. It was 7:00 the sun was going down so I pulled my jacket out of the bag and put it on, I then started to wrap my hand around the rope when I heard a familiar truck engine in the distance filling me with dread. Ubel was coming. I quickly zipped the bag up and ran to my right into the woods watching my step as I went. The last thing I needed was a sprained ankle to thwart my escape; I had already felt the headlights on my person when I started to flee. Then I heard a female scream, "RUN!" holding it out, shrieking it.

I started booking it, and I wasn't wrong about the headlights either, because even though I had a very large head start I could still hear the engine cut off in the background. It was faint before, but I could tell when it just suddenly stopped making the dreaded rumble. So I ran agilely through the woods, but then became aware of my breathing not to happily not too long after. I could keep running, but they were in better shape than me; I won't out last them. I stopped running just in time to see a very large and old-looking weeping willow in a small clearing the size of a normal kindergarten classroom. Its branches had leaves thickly hiding its body from view striking me as odd, because here were no willows that I had seen around here. I ran to it and went to the left side of it, at the bottom was an opening, looking inside it I breathed a little easier seeing it had more than enough room for me to crawl inside.

Then I thought about the female who had screamed run before. What kind of person was I to let them keep her there when I could kill them and steal the truck? One of them was bound to have a cellphone I could use to call the police. I threw the bag in it and touched the sack on my hip, but thought better of it. I saw a straight stick off to the side and picked it up. I had been refreshing myself on using a staff, I used to practice staff fighting so luckily it came back quite easily. I moved between my hands at the center making it twirl in a circle, and went into the side of the woods hiding behind a tree. The first one to come didn't move into the clearing, but instead went almost right to me unknowingly. He was 5 '9 wearing a very detailed hunter's camouflage coat and matching cap, his pants were black with tears in the knees from abuse. As he passed on the other side of the tree I was behind I took the stick, and, like a baseball bat, swung around the side he was coming out hitting his throat breaking his trachea. He fell backwards with a thud and started gargling blood out of his mouth in less than 30 seconds.  
I heard movement on the other side of the clearing where everyone was bound to pour out of. A man about the same height started asking for his comrade, the fallen's name was Hugo, and then ran toward where the fallen Hugo could be heard gargling. I moved out of sight behind a tree in front of the fallen fiend's feet and waited without much wait for as the other fiend came rushing to his friend's, his long dark hair moving from side to side, only to see it was too late and the man was drowning in his own blood. Placing my stick on the ground quietly I creep out from behind the tree and around the distracted man until I came behind him, the utility knife in hand, blade rolled out and secured. Quickly I grab the man's brown hair and swiftly cut his throat spilling blood onto the already dead man before him. I set him down gently beside the already dead comrade attempting to make as little noise as possible. By the time I made it back behind the tree concealing my stick a third man comes out right into the middle of the clearing just as I had.

He, though, chooses to go to the right side of the willow, so I quickly and quietly go behind the branches to the body of the large willow and watch as he moves to come in I move from view, then peek again. He appears to be my size wearing a hat. He goes around the tree on my right and I move with him close to the body. When I get back to the hole he decides to leave out the way he came in. It was like he didn't even see the hole. I don't waste time following him and keeping close to his shadow as he goes around the outside of the tree. As he steps away on the opposite of whence we both made it into the clearing I slowly and soundlessly come out. Moving behind him I take the stick and as fast as I can I place it at his throat holding him to me him, it choking him, with as much force as I can put behind it.

I turn us around to the woods facing the willow and drag him flailing into it. He fights me as I let him go kicking him to a tree. Running/falling into the tree he turns around only to watch me take the knife out, running at him, and then stab him in the side puncturing his left lung. He then falls to the ground, I then go to his side knocking him on his face. He cries out his face pressed into the ground, my foot aiding him.

I then flip him over and ask in a whisper, "How many more?"

"Just one, just one!" he cries as I trade my knife from my right hand to the left. "Please don't kill me-"

I place my hand over his mouth shushing him to all, but whimpers as I put his head on my lap, then ask , "Who? Is it Ubel?"

He nods, "He told us to get you and bring you back. He only came half way into the wood with us, said he would wait to watch you be brought back kicking and screaming," he stopped talking only to start coughing as blood was filling his lungs while he holds his wounded side.

I stroke his hair soothingly as he closed his eyes as I whisper, "It'll be alright, the pain will stop. I'll make it all go away." His breathing was becoming rapid as I placed the utility knife at the nape of his neck. Plunging it into the base of his skull and moving the blade throughout the space disconnecting as many veins as I could manage then pushing him off my lap on his side letting him bleed out the rest of the way.

I fetched up the stick and after wiping the blood off the knife on his pants I move quickly back to the willow winding it back into itself then clipping it back to my belt loop. I checked to see where the hole was and then moved to the front center of the large willow facing where my enemy would be, leading me straight to the truck, and the girl. My heart was thumping in my chest almost painfully so, but I wasn't fazed by this at all. Years of the same feeling of dread over and over again can make a person as hard minded as stone. Before I could let my mind waste any more time my feet carried me swiftly toward my awaiting target.

As I approach closer I can hear a cough in the distance, I drag the stick behind me as I walk heavy footed with a few husky breaths. He seems to hear this, just as I intended.

"Is that you Blondie?" He asks in his usual gruff voice, "I hear your breathing and what I think is my prize!"

I mimic the voice of my last victim whose voice was closer to my pitch, wheezing to cover up the slight high pitch of my alto voice, "Yes! She got the others, but she was much too tired when I got to her! Went down with more of a fight than I thought!"

"Ah, yes, little bitch can do some damage," He laughed out mocking me, "That's why she's my favorite!"  
I was close enough to see him, almost 4 yards away. I picked up the stick and flew at his laughing figure as he began to say something that made him laugh harder. This didn't last long. Using the stick like a boy, I jumped out spinning around in the air, on my way down smashing it into his face. Ubel spins around and holds his face, his eyes wide with surprise giving away to anger, then, amusement?

He laughed again, but I wasted no time silencing it with a well-aimed blow to the stomach. Then the head, then the legs. He only stumbled about before righting himself then saying, "You should know better, I barely feel anything from your little 'weapon'." I smacked him again in the side of the head, then spinning around on one foot bringing it back to hit the other side of his face. After it hit him he lunged forward and we struggled for the tree limb. I let it go as he got too close and began trying to trip me.

Jumping back I watched him stumbling a bit with the stick attempting to use it. He poked it at me like a spire missing every time as I dogged it five times in a row. I began sweeping up rocks with my shoes and kicking them at him. He would use the stick it block some of the big rocks, but while distracted I managed to grab one with my hands and hit him right in the nose causing blood to trickle out.

This pissed him off.  
He took the stick and broke it over his knee, I threw the second rock and side ran like a football player around him kicking rocks at him as though he was the goal and this was the World Cup. He wouldn't have any of it. Through a blur of body parts, well-aimed punches and kicks, Ubel prevails against all my efforts. He let all of his body weight crush my tired and sweating form pinning my hands above me with his large and leathery right hand, all while laughing in my face. His breath reeks of Jack Daniels and his skin was putrid with cigarette smoke, sweat, and the swampy smell of women's pussies whom he no doubt forces himself upon earlier.

"I've missed you," Ubel smells my neck while applying pressure to my captive wrist. He then licks my neck then the side of my face. I squirm under him only to have him grind his member against my unwilling lower half. The whole action alert him to the utility knife. He grabs it with his free hand and wound it out. "So this is how you killed them all huh?" he asks me with open-mouthed amusement, "My clever girl."

He then proceeds to cut a large whole up the side of my pants cutting the skin on my upper thigh. I cry out and he threw the knife, without any effort, to the side and squeezes my wounded thigh. What happens next is a black blur. As everything came into perspective I could see that I was no longer pined, his face covered in blood, and I'm now holding a large rock above my head. I couldn't stop myself as I smashed the rock repeatedly into his face. I did this for so long my arms were screaming. I stop only to leave the rock on his face, which I could no longer make out, and look at my hands. They were cover in black. I couldn't tell if it was red because it's dark out and the light of the moon isn't enough to help.

I remember myself in that moment and stand before the blood pooling on the ground in front of me. Looking about myself I notice the utility knife shinning a bit in the light. I quickly pick it up and examine it only to find dirt and my blood. Then I remember the cut on my leg. I look down at the hole in my pants leg and open it up. The gash is long, but only flesh deep. That isn't too surprising, he only wanted to mark his 'territory', though it is odd to me because he was usually against cutting 'merchandise'. 'Guess he really missed me,' is all I can think.

I examine my flesh wound a little closer and saw there was a bit of dirt in it. 'I'll clean with some of the water in my water bottle when I get back to the tree," was my deductive reasoning, for now I use my shirt to get what I could off without pressing any dirt into the wound itself. After I was satisfied with the condition of my cut for now I began walking back to the willow. I got half way there when I realize something, 'If that truck works and I can find the keys I could get out of here faster!' I turn right around and took off toward the truck, ran around the corpse, and went straight for my iron savior. My heart was racing with hope as I near it, but when I got closer I stop dead in my tracks. My heart hit the ground along with my knees. There, on the ground, was pieces of the engine I couldn't name let alone try to put back together properly to make it run.

Inside me a fire was building in my stomach and spreading throughout my veins like a brush fire was anger, "I JUST CAN'T CATCH A BREAK!" I roar without a care what animals might have heard me. I began cursing in the same roaring voice; cursing Ubel to a place worse than what hell could have possible supply him with. I wanted him to be super glued to the ground and be eaten for eternity by fire ants over and over, each time in a different position he had forced all those other women into. After a few more feverish swears I finally stop roaring and took my long dirty blond hair into my hands and grip it so harshly I had to pull it from the hair tie it was in and pull my fingers through it to claim down.

I let my back hit the truck door hard and slid down to the lift kick and sat there pulling leaves out of my hair and dirt chunks. I took my time doing this for at least 10 minutes. I flip my hair on both shoulders, then flip it forward and put my face in my lap so that I could run my fingers through it and be sure no ticks had gotten in my hair. When I am satisfied that I had done enough I began to meditate sitting there. I straighten my back against the door and focus on my breathing, pulling my mind away from the sounds of the wind many times. In the one moment where I began to feel perfect silence surround me I felt as though it was lifting me from the truck. I enjoy this feeling for moment but no matter how wonderful it felt I had to bring myself back, and slowly I did. As I let my mind become filled with the sounds of the outside world I could hear this banging noise come from behind me. Then there was a muffled cry.  
'THE GIRL,' I felt horrid for even forgetting, 'how could I forget about this poor girl?' I ask my now troubled mind, 'How could you be so self-absorbed Aala?' I scowl myself.  
I try the handle of the front seat door; it's locked along with the backseat. I ran to the other side and try the other ones; also locked. "Dammit! Just give me a moment, I have to find the keys!" I yell to her.

I was swift in running back to Ubel's body which was now covered in carry on beetles and had a good sized blood puddle around it. I came around to his feet and walk myself up to his waist, unable to keep the blood off my boots, in an awkward shuffle. I stood over his body with my feet on either side of it and riffle through his coat pockets. The outside pockets were no good. I dove into the inside pockets. Nothing. I start to panic. I look to his throat. I breathe a sigh of relief. There was a key chain holder around it coated in blood and bugs. I grab it with hast and mover along the inside of the stapes and use my fingers is pull the keys out of his shirt. I met some resistance. 'FUCK, it's trapped against body by his arm!' I took a deep breath, which was thick with the metallic smell of his blood at such a close range, fill my nose. I use it as motivation to move his carcass on its side. The rock side off his face and hit the ground with a loud thud, I ignore it and move my legs closer to him and holds him up with them. I lift his arm up and pull the key chain out the rest of the way. I fiddle with the key ring and maneuver it off the bigger ring flicking the beetles off here and there. With care, only for myself, I carefully move my right leg up and behind his back, squishing in the blood pool, then push him forward so he land on this front so his face, or what's left of it, would be in the dirt.

I extract myself from 'Beetle Heaven Lake' and brush some beetles off my legs. 'Can't have those getting in my cut.' Looking over my legs and arms I found no more of the carry on beetles and took off running back to the truck. I didn't slow down very much and practically ran into the truck door, jamming the key in after bouncing off the door, and throwing the backseat door open. I immediately had to catch the small, completely naked, bond and gagged, blond girl. Her skin had bruises and sucking marks. There weren't any cuts, as per usual. I sat her up and using the utility knife I cut her free from her bonds and she willingly did the rest in hast. I would have been just as vicious. She either hadn't been drugged yet or it hadn't been enough to subdue her for very long.

The girl's hair was as long as mine, if not a little shorter reaching just above her wide hips. Looking at her now without being so unfocused I could see her hair was actually dirty blond like mine, but her hair had so much blond you could barely tell. Whereas mine was the opposite having more brown than blond. She reminds me of someone I use to know before I was taken, but I couldn't place it. Then she spoke, "They've only had me for the day, they caught me in the early morning when it was still dark. I feel so stupid." She uncovers her face and stares at me, small eyes fighting tears, and failing. Her medium-sized lips trembling, face going red. I began feeling horrible and wishing she wasn't going to say what she was going to say next. But she couldn't keep something like this to herself could she. When something as horrible as this happens you have to say it, even if you're face to face with someone who just became free. The words came out broken and stutters, "O-o-o-o-oh m-m-m-my-y god, w-why did I h-h-have to f-f-f-find you like this s-s-sister!"

She threw her naked form, covered mostly by her long hair, out of the truck's backseat and into my arms. She clung to me gurgling and choking on sobs. I holds her without much effort. I couldn't help the way I felt, or should I say how I didn't feel. I didn't cry, didn't gasp, I didn't even stutter when my next words came out, "We can't stay here long, you need to find cloths in here. If you can't I'll lend you some. I don't have any shoes though, I'd have to give you a pair off one of their dead bodies."  
"W-w-what? No one else is coming." She looks up at me with her blue-brown eyes, "We can stay in the truck for the night can't we?" confusion was in every word.

Even with the hope and mixed emotions in her eyes as she looks at me my answers were unwavering, "No, I have my things back in a weeping willow back there. Let's get some cloths on you so we can move the bodies away from us so we can keep the animals at bay."

"Can't you just bring the bag here Aala?" she ask, unwillingly detaching herself from my waist.

"No again, we're putting the bodies here so the animals will stay here and eat them. They'll be attracted to the truck and the bodies." I look her in the eyes with my blank blue-green ones,

"You need to hurry. Did they bring any of your clothes?"

"Yeah, they took them off in here…" she trails off looking back into the truck at seat, but not moving to get back into the four door.

I knew I was being cold, and I need to stop, but what came out of my mouth next was something I couldn't retain, "Did they rape you?"

She whips her head back up to look at me and shook her head, "No, they only groped me and left these marks," she gestures to the suckle marks on her arms.

I moves her back in the truck's backseat and climbs in rustling through the garbage bag on the floor beside her, "Tell me why they didn't."

She was silent for a minute while I pull out a women's tank-top and a navy blue loose knit sweater. I hand them to her then rummage through the bag again. She still doesn't speak, just watches me while she holds the clothes to her covering herself. I pull out a few bras and some underwear along with some pants. I maneuver myself around her and into the space next to her and hand them to her. She still didn't answer me; rarely look me in the eyes.

"Tell me while you try them on. I don't know what's yours in the bag so bear with me."

She gave me a sideways glance and check the bra sizes before choosing the grey and multicolored poke-a-doted one and put it on. She remand silent while she slips on the similar grey shaded underwear. She would have remand silent while pulling on the tank-top if I didn't clear my throat. She gave in at that moment and it all came out fast at first then slowly with anguish, "They told me they were going to rape you in front of me then let me watch you watch me get raped. They said you wouldn't even care by much. I didn't want to believe them, but you're so distant. I don't want to believe that they're right but I can't tell if you're my sister anymore, Aala. Are you still my loving, charismatic sister that I loved and searched for? Please," her voice broke as she stayed looking at me with the loose knit sweater halfway up her arms, "prove to me you're still my sister!"

I stares at her with my hair falling out of the knot it's tied into and blocking parts of my vision. I triy to recall all the times I was my former charismatic self. I could only see in my head what seems like an old movie about a girl I would have wanted to be like. A family I would have loved to have. I couldn't find that girl's life inside myself. Instead I reach over and push the sweater over her head then pull her to me. "I can't promise you that I'm the sister you once had, all I can do is try to give you the sister you have now. You will have to accept me for what I have become rather than what I once was. Can you do that and trust that I will protect you like a sister should?" She removes her face from its place on my shoulder and nodes then continues pulling her cloths on. After she was fully clothed she went looking for more cloths that would fit her in the trash bag.

When she finishes I get out of the truck and she follows, with some assistance on my part. For the next 40 minutes we located the dead bodies, managing to completely cutting the willow out of view, and dragged them back to the truck. I went through their pockets and found a cell phone on the first man I had killed, which I used to try to call the police but there was no signal so we went back to handling the bodies. One-by-one we lifted them and threw them into the truck. One across the front seats, two in the back. One of the two backseat buddies was on the floorboard and the other actually on the seat. Ubel was thrown into the open tailgate. I paid the attention I could spear on watching my younger sister. She used some of the many hair ties from the trash bag to hold back her hair in a messy twisted bun. I had left my hair the way it was to avoid getting blood in it. Her small face was pinched at times after seeing what I had done to them. I wasn't sure exactly how she felt about it other than having a mutual hatred for them corpses. She had found her shoes and some clean socks and put them on. I was just as relieved, if not more, that she wouldn't have to walk in a dead man's boots. The only other problem that faced the 5 ft. young woman was not having a jacket. The sweater wasn't anywhere enough to retain heat with how large the holes were. It was more of a fashion statement than a sweater by far.

"Did you not find a jacket in the bag?"

She sigheds and then speaks with her words spaced out and filled with aggravation, "Yup, you bet-cha!" She was obviously agitated, "It looked like it was the warmest out of the millions there were. Can you believe they were all free?" and full of sarcasm.

I actually smiled. For the first time in a long time I felt something other than pleasure at my enemy's pain. "You haven't changed much," I stated, "and here I was thinking I'd have to get to know a whole other person." I actually laughed from actually being entertained by another human being for more than trying to stay sane.

"Why the hell would I ever change that much? I happen to like myself as I am," she stared at me for a moment with her mouth in a completely straight line, cheeks pushed into round balls by the action. I smiled at her, a genuine, toothy, smile. It only took moments for her face to fall as she remembered herself. I could see it on her face without having to be a physic to know what was going through her mind. Without much left for her to express, other than restraint from crying that didn't help for long, the tears to start forming in her eyes. She looked away from me and sniffed, whipping at her eyes. She was never one for tears and by trying to hide them instead of showing them like before meant that she didn't see me the same as before. Go figure.

My face fell back to its blank expression from before, "We need to leave now, Vigilia. It's getting late and I want to-," I corrected myself, "I want US to be well rested so we can cover more ground and get to town."

She wasn't UN-phased by my correction, but seemed to internally console herself. She also noticed that I had watched her play out these emotion. She didn't scramble, but she did become a bit flustered. She forgot that I always knew when something was bothering her even if I didn't have a visual confirmation. I watched her body langue convey a sense of wanting. She wanted me to ask, but we didn't have time for that. I let it slide or the time being and began walking away from the truck and toward the weeping willow's direction. I could hear the sound of her feet indicating surprise as she moved to catch up to me and come to my side. We walked in relative silence with nothing but the soft breeze blowing leaves around us and rustling the tree limbs above. We went around the blood trails and came upon the large tree in the middle of the clearing.

I kept moving forward until I heard Vigilia gasp. I knew it wasn't a gasp caused by fear, but I turned around as with a quickness. I was met face-to-face with my little sister staring in awe at the large willow. I studied her features trying to remember all the times I saw that very look upon her face. Only one made an impression on me. My prom night.

_"Aala you look beautiful so stop worrying yourself." My mother nagged, "You're going to smudge your lipstick!"_

_"I can't help it ma!" I spun around sending the light weight lower half of my dress around my legs, "It's the nerves!"_

_"No it's not," she laughed, "It's that date of yours isn't it?"_

_"Don't talk like you've just met him. You practically raised him!" I walked to the other side of my room of 140 in x 145.18 in, "I'm not worried about what Aerebus will think, I'm worried about if this dress is too much," I explained to my smirking mother._

_"Poppycock, the dress is not too much baby, it's perfect. No one else will have it, and you'll be envied," she reassured._

_I breathed in and walk over to the floor length mirror opposite my bedroom door right next to my twin sized bed. I stared at the gold dress that hugged my whole torso right down to the beginning of my hips. I moved my body by twisting my upper half as though I was going to twirl and watched the dress move with me, but not so much as it would go right back in place. The light from the middle of my ceiling caused the dense silver embroidery of the sweetheart neckline of the strap less dress to shimmer. It couldn't move too much because the entire lower half was largely pleated making the fabric nearest the bottom of my hip look like a large repeating descending rose petal. On my left side the fabric had been pulled together and fanned out reaching behind me to look like downward facing lilies of the valley. This part of the fabric was almost like a bunched up train cut short._

_I looked up to my hair which didn't take long to find. I had been French braided on the back of my hair then as it reached above my left my shoulder it spilled into a waterfall of curls down to the top of my chest. I stared into my eyes. The right one blue, left one green, both accented with gold and silver and surrounded by long brown eyelashes. My bedroom door swung open and I turned around fully, dress swishing along with me, to face Vigilia whom was regaining her breath only to gasp when she saw me. It was silent for a few moments as Vigilia's mouth hung open. Then she remembered to breathe in and started refilling her lungs with much-needed oxygen. _

_"I thought," she took in a deep breath, "I was going to miss you," she sighed out exasperated and smiling an open mouth smile then looked to the top right of her vision and back as she laughed at herself. "I ran all the way here and only slowed down when I reached the front door. I thought you already left, but I was wrong about the freaking time." We all shared a laugh in that moment, Vigilia walking right up to me and hugging me tightly, "I'm glad I ran though, if I hadn't I would have missed all the magic…"_

I came back to reality with a start. Vigilia was standing in front of me now still staring at the willow saying something I couldn't quiet catch. "Could you repeat that, Vigilia?"  
She looked at me now and pointed to the weeping willow, "I was saying that I don't think I've ever seen one this large before in my life; it's beautiful in the moon light."  
I turned around and faced the tree taking it all in, "Isn't I ironic how something so sad-looking can be one of the most beautiful things nature can offer?" It was a rhetorical question and I had a feeling Vigilia understood that very well, and always did when growing up, she did this by showing it through silence. I tore my gaze away and pulled her gently by the wrist into the willow's umbrella of protection and lead her straight to the hole. She stood there while I pulled the bag out and grabbed the water bottle out and handed it to her. "Drink this, you'll feel better," I instructed her.

She took it without much hesitation and drank a good amount, I would've laughed if it hadn't startle her so much. At first I let her sit there staring at the bottle while I listened for sounds of moving water. When I finally heard it I moved around the tree till it got louder and after a moment I figured out what direction it was in. I remembered passing it earlier when I was closer to the road. 'It must have winded through the woods all the way down here,' I took the bottle from her and we went to the stream, which ended up being conveniently. We didn't stay long, only enough for me to clean my hands, the cut, and to refill the bottle. Vigilia took that time to wash her face and hands reminding me that I should probably clean my face too. When we got back she looked to me, but I looked to the bag and started pulling out the tarp, then I moved into the hole. She crouched on the ground and looked inside. "Is there enough room for me?" she asked this as I spread a good amount of the tarp on the ground inside.

"Yeah, we're both small so we'll have enough room to sit comfortably. Get in so I can cover the hole up a bit, we're going to use our backs to hold it up so if it rains at some point in the night we won't get soaked. That, and if any animals come sniffing I can judge if I need to kill it or if it'll pass." She crawled inside and caused the tarp to crinkle as she got settled in. I started pulling the bunched up ending over the hole and tapped the tree wall signaling her to place herself against it. She moved the tarp behind her as I did the same only leaving a small opening at the top for air and positioned ourselves for the night. I pulled the flip phone out from my front pocket where I had shoved it in earlier and opened it. I could feel Vigilia's eyes on me as I went to the alarm application.

"What are you doing? I thought you couldn't get a signal out here?"

"You can't, I'm setting an alarm so we can go to sleep and get up in a timely fashion." She watched me with an 'oh' on her mouth as I shut the phone with a bit of satisfaction. I then realized as I went to look at Vigilia that I could barely see her outline shivering. I started moving hands around and found the bag with little difficulty and pulled out the thin fleece blanket that I had rolled up and packed earlier that day. I had wanted to climb into a tree and wrap it around my legs under the tarp for warmth, now it was going to keep her warm throughout this hell like night full of saddening victories. I pulled out the flash light. "Close your eyes for a moment, I'm turning on this flashlight and it might hurt them." Her ghost of an outline moved to cover her face and I did the same with my left arm. I flipped on the light then slowly removed my arm followed by slowly opening my eyes while looking at the right wall of the tree. As they adjusted I looked to Vigilia seeing she did much of the same thing but looking away from me to the left wall of the tree almost mirroring me. I looked away from her and studied the hollow hole of the tree. The walls are smooth but move in and out resembling a river defying gravity. It's beautifully odd in the artificial light. I looked down to the blanket then stuffed it into Vigilia's arms a little forcefully then adjust my jacket pulling the hood over my head. "Wrap it around you from behind while I hold up the tarp and sit on it. You're going to want to have it over your head like my hood to retain heat through the night."

She looked at me like I had two heads, "Do you seriously think I'm going to let you go without any blanket the entire night? You're still my sister and we're sharing a blanket," this was more matter-of-factually than I would have liked to have dealt with.

"No, we're not," I stated firmly mono-tone.

"We are."

"We're not sharing a blanket. I have a jacket, you don't. I have I way to keep warm, you not so much." I looked at her now, not that there was much to see of her, "Do not argue with me, just do as I say, Vigilia, and let me care of you."

Vigilia emotions were entirely open to me in the light. I knew she was hurt and touched by my words whether she wanted to or not just by how her face fought with itself on what it was allowed to convey. She confirms her compliance, not by much sound other than a grunt, when she nodded her head and let me hold the tarp while she buried herself in the blanket. When she finished I turned the flashlight off and we both settled in, but before I can let sleep claim me Vigilia speaks, "You promise?"

"Promise what?" I ask.

"That you'll try."

"If I've forgotten everything else I haven't forgotten that I how to try." Confusing as it was to say it at that moment, I knew what she meant. She was making sure I would still try to be my old self again despite my words with her earlier. I could do that much for her at least.

Shortly after that I fell asleep, but of course it didn't feel like I had slept for long before the alarm went off signaling us to wake up. I went move for it only to find that I had been moved over and Vigilia had us leaning against each other with the blanket draped over our heads. I would have found it more humorous because she placed us to not only hold the tarp up, but to have to tarp hold us up as well. She never did listen to me. I would've tried to remember more about her stubbornness if not for her shutting off the phone and the tarp falling as she sat up and stretched. I too took that opportunity to stretch out also letting the tarp fall. I pulled the blanket from our heads and ball it up then turned toward the exit behind us and crawled out avoiding getting the blanket dirty. Vigilia did the same with the crinkling tarp and followed suit. She laid the tarp out on the ground while I grabbed the bag out of the tree, then we folded and rolled up the blanket. I then removed everything from the bag and sat it on the tarp then moved it all on top of the bag. We then repeated the folding with the tarp after shaking it out, after it was rolled up we stuck everything inside the bag according to size but the food.

When we had everything in the bag Vigilia's stomach growled. I handed her the bag with steak in it and said, "Breakfast, don't eat more than two slices, we have to make it last." Then I handed her the water bottle. We sat together and ate two and a half slices and drank a good amount of water.

"I have to pee," was the next sentence to come from Vigilia's mouth.

"Do you want me to look out for you?" She nodded and helped pack the food up. I adjusted the bag on my back and we headed out from under the willow's protection and out to the trees. Vigilia went to the first tree in front of her and hid behind it. While she did her business I remembered the phone and called out to her, "Do you have the phone?"

"Ummm, no... It's probably still with the tree, just go back and grab it.

I sighed quietly and turned around only to find that there was no willow tree, only a bunch of trees just like the rest. Instead of panicking I looked through the bag only to find it and that it was dead anyways. 'Great." Then as I heard her adjusting herself I came around the tree she was behind and lead her to our right.

"Did you find it?" she asked me.

"Yeah, but it's dead so it's useless," we then walked in the direction I lead her for a few hours until we came upon a good-sized stream and I took the time to let her fill up the bottle while I took care of business. We then walked while sharing a piece of chicken for a few more hours. .At some point Vigilia managed to convince me after a bit of one-sided bickering, to get me to allow her to carry the backpack. I made her give me her word that if it started to get tiring to give it back to me. I won't lie, it was nice not having to carry it for an hour but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle. Then after that hour I managed to get her to stop pretending that it wasn't trying her energy and give the bag back. This went on in a slight pattern varying with streams, little eating, resting, and, of course, bickering over the backpack until it grew dark.

Not soon after did this end there was dim lighting in the distance we ran toward this lighting with rolling hills coming into view with windows and doors protruding from them. Everything was the size of a playground made for small children. I would have written it off as just that if it weren't for the gardens and the farm animals. I scanned the fenced in fields and yards just in time to see two small boys heavily dressed in leather, and what looked like weapons walk up a tiny path and stairs to one of the round doors that had this small glowing mark one it and knock. Moments later a smaller boy in less threatening wears opened the door. The boys standing outside bowed to him. The other boy didn't seem to agree with them and tried to shut the door in their faces. The boy with back hair furthest from us stopped him though, they seem to quickly clear something up and enter much to the smallest ones dismay. The door was shut shortly after but the blue glow was still there, just dimmer. I grab Vigilia's hand and pull her toward the dirt path. As we came closer to the village the blue light caught my eye again. 'Is it getting brighter or is it because we're getting closer?'

I decided to test the theory, if anything the children's parents would be home. I wasn't sure if Vigilia was saying anything because I was more focused of the light. As we started up the tiny dirt path to the door the light was shining so bright it was almost blinding. I covered the mark with my foot and then knocked on the door.

"Do you think this is a good idea?" Vigilia asked sounding unsure.

"No, but it's worth a try, right?"  
Vigilia just shrugged jittering. From the other side of the door, just a half-inch too short for me, was the sound of someone clearly upset and annoyed. As the voice got closer it sounded more like that of an angry middle-aged man. This gave me hope that it was an adult who could help, not only clear this whole place up, but also help us get a hold of the authorities and get us to a police station that wasn't in the middle of farm country. I removed my foot from the mark only to have it beam me in the eyes. Then my hopes were dashed when the door opened to reveal the small boy who looked more like a middle-aged man than a boy with the voice to match saying something about dwarves and then trailing off while raising his eyes to meet mine and Vigilia's.  
We stood there like that for a moment staring at each other wide-eyed until he started turning his head back to the inside of his house while having a hard time pealing his eyes from ours and called, "When was I to be informed of human women being a part of your group?"

"WOMEN?!" another male voice called back. This one sounded younger.

"HUMANS?!" called another, much older and grumpier sounding one.

"I was never informed of this Mr. Baggins," called a wiser and soothing male voice.

"Me either," said another, much younger voice like the first, but not as full of childlike charm.

"Please," started Vigilia, "Let us explain."

The men, other than the first one, Mr. Baggins, was actually paying attention to Vigilia. This was making her angry, so I let her do what she does best, get angry and get rightful attention.

"ALL RIGHT, I've had enough! I have had the worst possible last week, no, last seven years of my life leading into the worst week of my life trying to find my sister and bring her home! You will give me the respect I deserve and listen to what I have to say or so help me GOD, I will bend you all over my knee and spank you one-by-one." She narrowed her eyes to only one of them really. He was the tallest there with the top of this head bald, tattooed, and surrounded by hair in a clear half circle growing into his beard. He glared back at her, and her mother commanding authority type tone.

I smirked and shook my head, "Let me explain, your too angry, and will start babbling." I used my eyes to direct her away from the door.

Vigilia wasn't too pleased but she knew better, huffing as she did so, and walked away to sit on the little bench nearest the dirt path to cool off.

I turned back to the men, the tattooed one now glaring at me. I look into his eyes, un-blinking, empty, and wide. He seems put off by this and rolls his eyes giving his own little huff like Vigilia before looking away. I chose that time to look to the smallest man there, who also had the biggest feet, and speak the way they seem to speak, almost medieval with a good amount of politeness, "Mr. Baggins, I'm sorry for the intrusion, disruption, and confusion all on my sister's and mine's behalf. Let me introduce us: I am Aala, and that was Vigilia." I decide to leave out our ages for the time being, besides, I had forgotten how old Vigilia must have been by now, so instead I inform them of what my sister is ranting about, "We've went through a rough time and yesterday I had to kill four men to get her back after she was ambushed by a group of men. She was looking for clues of my disappearance that lead her to me in a very unpleasant way. I would share more with you, but I have to ask you this: would you mind giving us a place to stay for tonight? This land is very strange to us and we're much shaken from our personal experiences. We would be grateful for your help and cooperation."

They all seemed more shaken by the part where I killed four men, but some also seemes impressed. After a few moments of processing the wiser sounding one being about Mr. Baggins height and having a long, well groom beard as white as snow, pipe up, "Why, Mr. Baggins wouldn't mind giving sanction to two pretty human women with such a tale to tell now would you?"  
Another man, a younger with black hair and a beard to match stepp forward noticing my leg, "Yeah, you surly couldn't turn them down when this maiden has such a wound running down her leg now could you Mr. Boggins?"

"Baggins, Kili" corrects the tallest, "Plus she does have the blood of her enemies on her person, so I'm interested in the tale." He said this as if it was the deciding factor.

The white bearded one spoke again, "We'll have Oin look at the wound when he arrives."

The blond younger chimes in, "I'll carry you miss, if it's bothering you seeing as your journey must have been long and tiring."

I ignore the offer with a blank face and put my attention to Mr. Baggins. He was staring back at me now with a slightly open mouth. I tilt my head to my left while our eyes lock, I attempt to soften my gaze trying to ease its intensity. This ctches his attention and he remembers himself, closes his mouth, and shakes his head in the positive. 

"Yes, come in, come in, Hobbits are known for their hospitality, and I can't have you two out in the cold, come in."

I could hear Vigilia faintly as she stands up behind me, but I can definitely hear her when she walks up to me. I move letting her pass in front of me while three of the short men recede back into the house and lead the way down a hall to our left. Two stay behind, one that I remember being Kili and the blond one. The blond one's hand was still outstretched towards me. He obviously hadn't gathered that I had ignored him earlier in regards to the offer. Kili moves forward and is trying to get my bag from me. I comply and slid it off my shoulders, unable to hide the tired way they slump coming with the action in response. I then hand him it with internal relief at the loose of its weight. He studies it with curiosity, which makes me wonder if I hadn't been wrong about it being a strange land. I wasn't grante the time to think on it before the sound of feet move closer to me following with a thick and callused hand now slipping into my right hand, gently gripping it, and tugs me forward. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out it's the blond young man from before. I look at him, my eyes still blank, but the softness lessening, as I step inside the house.

He has braids in his hair and on his beard and all the facial hair connecting to the rest on top of his head hid his ears from sight. The head hair/facial hair combo was almost like a group thing among all of them but Mr. Baggins. I notice that his facial expression had change to that of concern. I also realize that Kili had a curious upon his own face. Then it hit me that they were speaking to and I probably am now scaring them with my wide-eye, blank stare, and straight mouth expression.

'I'm sorry, I'm not used to men who'll be kind to me and not sexually penetrate my body at the same time,' is what I am thinking. What I say isn't as harsh as truth, "I'm sorry, I'm trying to get used to people who are not seeking to cause me harm. You'll have to forgive my lack of expressions and responses. I have a troubling past concerning men of any kind up until this moment." Either way they both seem to be in shock by my words, and less sickened by far than they would have been. 

The blond one who still holds my hand gave me a reassuring squeeze, "No worries Miss Aala, you'll find no lack of respect toward you here."

"I'm glad to hear that, more than I could express at this time. I'll trying and fix that though." This gains me the first real smiles I have gotten from men since before I had left my friends shop the night I had been taken. It makes me feel warm. To my mind the feeling is alien and I kind of want to attack it, but hold off on the assault.

As he pulls away from the door, almost like a mindless child, the blond informed me of his name, it was, "Fili."

* * *

PurpleWithLace: The names are pronounced: A-la like Aaron would be. Vigilia almost like Va-jill-e-a. Aerebus like air-ri-bus. Fraco like frack-co. Colis like Ca-lis. Ubel like You-bell.

Please read and Review like a Civilized Human being, thank you. Also, please let me know if you've found **ANY** tense issues. I've switched the whole chapter to past tense like a story being told.


End file.
